Bombing of Tourist Bus Kills at Least Three in Sinai

CAIRO — At least two South Korean tourists and their Egyptian driver were killed on Sunday when an explosion ripped through a tour bus in a resort town in the Sinai Peninsula, in what officials said was the first deadly attack on tourists by militants in Egypt in at least three years.

The bus, which had been carrying more than 30 people, was parked for a break in Taba, near the border with Israel, when the blast occurred. Officials said they believed an explosive device had been placed in the vehicle, possibly under the driver’s seat. Photographs of the aftermath of the bombing showed heavy damage to the chassis of the yellow bus, which was engulfed by fire after the explosion.

Health and tourism officials said they had confirmed three deaths. A rescue worker quoted by The Associated Press said three bodies had been found, as well as the burned remains of one or possibly two other people. At least 17 other passengers were injured, officials said.

A spokesman for Egypt’s interim president, Adly Mansour, called the bombing a “despicable act of cowardice directed at innocent tourists.” There were no claims of responsibility, but the bombing appeared to offer worrying new evidence that militants who have been attacking Egypt’s security forces for months were broadening their campaign against civilians.

Since the military ousted Egypt’s last elected president, Mohamed Morsi, in July, jihadists operating mostly in the northern Sinai have carried out hundreds of bombings, assassinations and at least one attack using a rocket-propelled grenade. The victims have included soldiers, police officers and Christian residents.

In recent months, the attacks have spread beyond Sinai to other cities, including the heart of the capital, Cairo. At least six people were killed last month when bombs exploded outside a security headquarters and other buildings around Cairo. A Sinai-based militant group, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, has claimed responsibility for several of the deadliest attacks, including the downing of a military helicopter late last month.

But militants had not directly targeted Egypt’s tourism industry, a source of millions of jobs in the country, as well as vital foreign currency for the government. Over the last three years, the industry has been crippled by repeated bouts of political unrest that have emptied temples, museums and hotels around the country. The resorts in Sinai had remained a sole bright spot, drawing beachgoers on direct charter flights from Russia, Italy and other European countries.

Egypt’s tourism minister, Hisham Zaazou, said the bus had been carrying more than 30 South Korean tourists and had traveled from Cairo to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai. Preparing to cross into Israel, it parked near the Hilton hotel in Taba, where more than 30 people were killed in 2004 when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into the lobby.

The authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims in the bus bombing.

“I am very sorry this happened,” Mr. Zaazou said as he prepared to board a flight to visit the injured passengers. His office said he had canceled a trip to Luxor, where he was supposed to welcome a new flight carrying tourists directly from Paris.

“This will not reoccur,” he added.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A3 of the New York edition with the headline: Bombing of Tourist Bus Kills at Least Three in Sinai. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe